According to a conventional electro-photographic type image forming apparatus, a cleaning blade is in contact with a photosensitive member to scrape off residual toner remaining on the photosensitive member after image transfer. Here, temperature of the cleaning blade is increased and the blade will be softened in accordance with an increase in surface temperature of the photosensitive member. Thus, so called “stick-slip phenomenon” occurs such that an end portion of the blade in contact with the photosensitive member is compressed and shrinks in a rotational direction of the photosensitive body in accordance with the rotation thereof, and the blade returns its original shape because of resiliency upon shrinkage to some extent, and such repeated shrinking and returning causes vibration. Abnormal noise or chatter may occur if some amounts of toner do not remain between the photosensitive member and the blade.
There is known a technique for restraining chattering. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-356642, a detection device is provided for detecting ambient temperature of a photosensitive member. A toner image is formed at a non-imaging surface portion of the photosensitive member in accordance with the detected temperature. Thus, toner is supplied to the surface portion in contact with the cleaning blade.